02-22-2025, 07:58 PM
. You got to hand it to that County Public Works dame; she really knows how to run a meeting! Friday's update on the Reconstruction of Puna's Lava Inundated Roads Project probably set a new speed record by clocking in at only seven minutes. And every question from the audience was answered! That's a skill they should teach in high schools.
Of course, there wasn't really all that much to talk about. Basically, starting at 4-Corners, 4000 feet of rough grading has been done on Highway 137 so far, and at this point the equipment is still on the job site. The target date for completing this phase is July, but scouts are still being sent out ahead to further investigate the roadway for more surprises. As was reported last month, the most recent snafu -- generally blamed on the surveyors the County hired -- ended up costing taxpayers a bit under a million dollars and slowed the project down by four months. With that kind of motivation the contractor shouldn't have any trouble finding something else to jack up the price again.
After grading, the waterline will be buried in a trench scraped out of the lava, and eventually the paving will be done (to the joy of all the street racers in Puna.) It will be up to the contractor to decide at which end to start installing the waterline, but since it can't be activated until the road between PGV and Pohoiki is finished, the issue is moot. Regarding the Upper and Lower Pohoiki Road rehabilitation project, that contract is still under negotiation, so there are still no boots on the pahoehoe.
And the seven minutes are up.
Of course, there wasn't really all that much to talk about. Basically, starting at 4-Corners, 4000 feet of rough grading has been done on Highway 137 so far, and at this point the equipment is still on the job site. The target date for completing this phase is July, but scouts are still being sent out ahead to further investigate the roadway for more surprises. As was reported last month, the most recent snafu -- generally blamed on the surveyors the County hired -- ended up costing taxpayers a bit under a million dollars and slowed the project down by four months. With that kind of motivation the contractor shouldn't have any trouble finding something else to jack up the price again.
After grading, the waterline will be buried in a trench scraped out of the lava, and eventually the paving will be done (to the joy of all the street racers in Puna.) It will be up to the contractor to decide at which end to start installing the waterline, but since it can't be activated until the road between PGV and Pohoiki is finished, the issue is moot. Regarding the Upper and Lower Pohoiki Road rehabilitation project, that contract is still under negotiation, so there are still no boots on the pahoehoe.
And the seven minutes are up.